1. Technical Field
Illustrative embodiments of this disclosure relate to a liquid container and an image forming apparatus employing the liquid container.
2. Description of the Background
Image forming apparatuses are used as printers, facsimile machines, copiers, plotters, or multi-functional peripherals having two or more of the foregoing capabilities. As one type of image forming apparatus employing a liquid-ejection recording method, an inkjet recording apparatus is known that ejects liquid droplets from a recording head. Another type of image forming apparatus is also known that forms images using an electrophotographic method.
Image forming apparatuses employing the liquid-ejection recording method ejects ink droplets from the recording head onto a recording material to form an image on the recording material. Such liquid-ejection-type image forming apparatuses fall into two main types: a serial-type image forming apparatus that forms an image by ejecting droplets while moving a recording head in a main scan direction, and a line-head-type image forming apparatus that forms an image by ejecting droplets from a linear recording head fixedly disposed in the image forming apparatus.
In a liquid-ejection-type image forming apparatus, both the recording head and a sub tank (also known as a buffer tank or head tank) may be mounted on a carriage. In such a case, a main ink cartridge (main tank) is detachably mounted in the image forming apparatus to supply ink to the sub tank.
Such an ink cartridge may consist of a divisible cartridge case that houses an ink-containing pack in which a holder with ink supply and refill ports is fused to a pack body. An elastic member is disposed within the ink supply port. A hollow needle provided in the image forming apparatus is inserted through the elastic member, connecting a hole (ink inlet) in the tip of the needle to an ink channel to supply ink to the ink-containing pack.
A problem with the above-described conventional ink cartridge is that ink may leak when the hollow needle is inserted to or extracted from the elastic member in the ink supply port in the holder of the ink-containing pack.